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The strength hit an all-time low in 2016-17 when there only 22 students | Representative Photo | PTI

In a first, a government school at Chandalike village near Vitla in Dakshina Kannada district has offered insurance cover to students who take admissions into the school in the coming academic year.

The students will get a health and accident insurance cover of Rs 1.25 lakh under 'Student Safety Plan' of United India Insurance which will cover.

Vidyavardhaka Sangha, a group of like-minded people of Chandalike village who have joined hands to develop the school, will pay the annual premium of Rs 200 each towards the insurance.

The Sangha mooted the idea of insurance in a bid to attract more students to the school and in turn save it from closure in the near future.

The 1-8th standard school started in the year 1958 had witnessed a decline in the student's strength in the last decade as many parents in the village preferred to admit their children to private schools that had come up nearby. The strength hit an all-time low in 2016-17 when there only 22 students. It was then, the Sangha headed by Bhavani Rai, a retired government school teacher and former president of Vitla gram panchayat, decided to do something.

Realising that the shortage of teachers was one of the main reasons for declining students strength in the school, the Sangha hired three temporary teachers during last academic years (2017-18) and paid salary to them from its pocket. As a result, the strength went up from 22 to 68 last year. In place of four, the school is managing with just two permanent teachers.

Narayana Gowda, Block Resource Coordinator (BRC), Bantwal, hailed the efforts of Vidyavardhaka Sangha in developing the school and hoped that the insurance will help improve the strength. He said Bhavani Rai has sought to adopt the school and the process is on.pix to follow.